Vizio Sb3821-d6 Smartcast 38 21 Sound Bar System Review

Nosotros've currently tested 16 Vizio soundbars. The make makes a wide multifariousness of soundbars with a expert price-to-performance ratio. Their products frequently don't look or experience as premium equally models from competing brands; even so, you still usually become a proficient amount of features, similar sound customization options, different wireless playback options, and even Atmos back up. While their soundbars tend to sound well-balanced, some models handle stereo dynamics meliorate than others. That said, they still tend to provide good value for the price. Below, you'll find the all-time Vizio soundbars we've tested.

Updates

• 03/04/2022 Vizio Elevate updated
• 02/04/2022 Vizio SB2020n-J6 reviewed
• 12/15/2021 Vizio V Series V21-H8 updated
• 11/18/2021 Vizio V Series V51-H6 updated
• 08/04/2021 Vizio Thousand Series M512a-H6 reviewed

Best Vizio Soundbars

1. Best Vizio Soundbar

   The best Vizio audio bar we've tested is the Vizio Elevate. This 5.i.4 setup offers a unique design with sides that automatically rotate upwards when you watch Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content, which helps create a wide, focused soundstage to immerse you in your sound. It's impressively well-built, with a slightly bass-heavy default sound contour that adds extra thump and punch to your mix. Dialogue in your favorite movies reproduces clearly, and you tin feel the action in intense scenes and exciting motion-picture show scores. When you heed to surround audio content, the two satellites help create a more immersive listening feel. For example, cars in a chase scene seem to race past you from an accurate, pinpoint location that makes information technology feel like you're in the middle of the activeness.

   Unfortunately, this soundbar doesn't come with equally many sound enhancement features as other premium models on the market place. At that place'due south no room correction feature, so information technology sounds different depending on the room you use it in, and there's no graphic EQ, which is disappointing if you want more than control over its sound contour. That said, its bass and treble adjustments are still suitable for creating a more neutral sound if you prefer.

   See our review

2. Best Vizio Soundbar Nether $500

   If you're looking for a soundbar for under $500, check out the Vizio Thou Serial M512a-H6. Though it doesn't offer rotating sides like the Vizio Drag, this v.1.2 setup is a more affordable alternative with a very versatile functioning overall. Right out-of-the-box, it offers a neutral sound contour that reproduces dialogue in your favorite movies conspicuously and with detail. Thank you to its dedicated subwoofer, information technology has an extended, punchy bass reproduction, and so y'all really feel the rumble in activeness-packed scenes, and it besides gets pretty loud. There are bass and treble adjustments, too as some EQ presets to customize its sound. It comes with two satellite speakers to aid create an immersive listening experience with environment audio.

   However, this soundbar just has two up-firing speakers compared to the Elevate's 4, and its performance with Dolby Atmos content isn't quite equally impressive. At that place'south no room correction characteristic, either, and you tin only stream audio to the bar wirelessly over Bluetooth, which is a fleck limiting compared to the Drag. That said, if you're on a budget, it's nonetheless a solid choice.

   See our review

3. All-time Budget Vizio Soundbar

   If y'all're on an fifty-fifty tighter budget, consider the Vizio V Series V51-H6. This five.1 setup comes with a dedicated subwoofer and two satellite speakers. Its default sound profile is very neutral and counterbalanced, particularly in the mid-range, so voices in movies and TV shows are clear and authentic in the mix. There'due south a impact of extra boom in the bass range, too, so you feel the excitement in action-packed scenes. It has a similar selection of audio enhancement features when compared to other Vizio models; you can choose betwixt bass and treble adjustments as well as EQ presets if you desire to change upwards its audio.

   All the same, this budget-friendly model lacks a lot of more premium features. In that location's no support for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content, which is pretty disappointing for movie lovers. While its soundstage functioning is decent overall, it doesn't seem equally wide as the soundstage for the Vizio Elevate or the Vizio K Series M512a-H6. As a consequence, you don't feel equally immersed in your favorite movies. That said, it'southward still a decent choice for surround audio, and this soundbar ranks among the best budget soundbars nosotros've tested.

   See our review

4. Best two.1 Vizio Soundbar

   The best Vizio audio bar with a 2.ane setup that we've tested is the Vizio V Serial V21-H8. Compared to a 5.i setup, a two.1 soundbar merely has two channels: left and right stereo. Every bit a result, this soundbar is ideal for listening to stereo content like music and Idiot box shows. Out-of-the-box, information technology has a bass-heavy sound contour that accentuates the thump and punch in your audio, making it ideal for listening to bass-heavy genres like EDM. If you lot adopt a more than neutral sound, you can always fix its bass aligning feature accordingly. Vocals and pb instruments still clearly and accurately reproduce, thanks to the neutral, balanced mid-range. Like other Vizio models, you can also observe EQ presets and a treble adjustment feature to help customize its sound even further.

   Since this bar lacks a discrete heart channel, voices aren't as accurately localized inside the soundstage. In that location aren't any environment channels, either, and so the bar has to downmix this content into stereo to play information technology. Unfortunately, the event isn't quite as immersive-sounding every bit 5.one setups with detached surrounds similar the Vizio Elevate and the Vizio V Serial V51-H6. There's no Atmos back up, either. If you're only looking for a bar to raise your listening experience with stereo content similar music and TV shows, information technology'due south still a solid pick.

   See our review

Compared to other brands

• Generally practiced value for the price. Vizio is well-known for delivering the latest engineering science at a reasonable toll, and their soundbars are no exception. The brand makes some of the best 5.1 soundbars nosotros've tested, specially for the toll.
• Balanced sound signature. All of the Vizio soundbars we've tested sound well-counterbalanced. Their v.1 models produce a very good amount of thump and rumble without drowning out voices or sound effects in the higher frequencies. Their 2.0 models sound brighter since they lack bass, but they nevertheless produce a adequately neutral and fifty-fifty response in the mid and treble ranges for a reasonably well-balanced sound profile overall.

• Build quality not quite on par with more premium brands. Although this shouldn't come up as likewise much of a surprise given the pricing of most Vizio soundbars, it'due south still worth noting that even their pricier options don't look every bit well-built as competing models from other brands. On the upside, Vizio'due south cheaper models do feel meliorate congenital than what some upkeep brands provide.
• Inconsistent stereo dynamics performance. While some of Vizio'due south soundbars can get enough loud without much compression, other models tend to compress at college volumes or simply don't get very loud at all. There doesn't seem to be a correlation between price and performance with stereo dynamics, either. This inconsistency isn't ideal since it makes it hard to know whether or non you can expect good dynamics from future releases.

Vizio makes a ton of different soundbars at various toll points. In general, they provide pretty good value for the toll, especially if you detect an older model on sale. Other popular brands similar LG or Samsung tend to follow a pretty tight yearly release schedule, discontinuing prior years' models not long after the new ones come out. However, Vizio is a bit more than like Sony in that their soundbars tend to stay on the market for longer. It's non uncommon to see models that are 2 or even three years old that are nonetheless bachelor for purchase. It makes information technology possible to notice some actually skillful deals, peculiarly on models that are soon to exist discontinued. While their products tend to look and feel cheaper than competing models from other brands, information technology's a pretty minor sacrifice for the solid performance yous generally get in exchange.

Lineup

Vizio'southward naming strategy hasn't changed much since they launched their first soundbar, the VSB210WS, in 2009. They use a combination of letters and numbers to designate the soundbar'due south size and number of channels. They also add a letter at the end to indicate the release year, starting with the letter 'A' in 2012. 'B' covers both 2013 and 2014, while 'C' is used for 2015, 'D' for 2016, and then forth up to 'J' for 2021.

For example:

• The SB36512-F6 is a 36 inch soundbar with five.i.2 channels, released in 2018.
• The SB3820-C6 is a 38 inch soundbar with 2.0 channels, released in 2015.
• The SB2020n-G6 is a 20 inch soundbar with 2.0 channels, released in 2019.

Recent Updates

1. Mar 10, 2022: No changes in picks after verifying their accuracy and availability. Minor updates to the text for clarity.

2. December 10, 2021: Replaced the Vizio M Series M51a-H6 with the Vizio Thousand Series M512a-H6 equally 'Best Under $500'.

3. Aug 12, 2021: Added the Vizio V Serial V21-H8 as 'Best 2.1'. Minor updates to the text for accuracy.

4. April 14, 2021: Replaced the Vizio SB36512-F6 with the Vizio Elevate as 'Best'. Added the Vizio 1000 Serial M51a-H6 as 'All-time Under $500'. Replaced the Vizio SB2020n-G6 with the Vizio V Series V51-H6 equally 'All-time Upkeep'.

Conclusion

Vizio is all-time-known for their competitively-priced TVs, and their soundbar partitioning follows suit. They have a wide range of different soundbar models at various cost points to satisfy all different kinds of users. Virtually of their products provide very adept value for the price, and their soundbars are no exception. It'south possible to detect surprisingly fully-featured models at a relatively depression price point, peculiarly when there's a sale. Nonetheless, their products normally don't look or feel very high-cease. That said, if you're non picky about build quality, then Vizio soundbars are worth considering.

Examination results

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Source: https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio

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